Social Impact Award 2018

The Social Impact Award recognises alumni whose work has positively changed their society or community.

Regional award winners 2018

Aggeliki Pappa

University of Birmingham

Aggeliki Pappa is the founder and CEO of ‘i love dyslexia.’ She is also president of the non-profit organisation 3DlexiaCosmos which connects thousands of students and teachers globally, supporting education for sustainable development. Aggeliki has trained thousands of teachers in Greek public schools and globally, building a powerful stigma-free voice in foreign language teaching while supporting refugees’ education. She says her UK education gave her the tools she needed to make a difference.

Baby Ruth Villarama

Birmingham City University

Following a degree in Film Distribution and Marketing, Baby Ruth co-founded Voyage Studios, collaborating with local and international filmmakers. She produced five feature-length documentary films in three years, two of which were finalists at the 2008 New York Film Festival.

Baby Ruth received a Chevening Scholarship to study in the UK: she wanted to specialise in economic policies and strategies related to the film industry, and have access to world-class facilities, festivals and companies.

Dr Ayesha Saeed Husaini

University of Sheffield

Ayesha has been a director of the Manzil Centre for People with Disabilities for 12 years. Her dream is to see every individual with a disability leading a life of dignity and financial independence. During 20 years’ in this field across India and the UAE, she has made a positive impact on 400,000 lives. Her Doctoral research at the University of Sheffield strengthened her leadership qualities and developed her abilities to form strategic partnerships on a local and international level.

Dr Roman Fishchuk

University College London (UCL)

Roman was awarded a Chevening Scholarship to study his MSc in ENT Practice (Otology) at UCL. When he returned to Ukraine, he started a hearing centre where over 800 patients were able to receive high-quality hearing testing free of charge. He also worked with Global ENT Outreach where he was able to help more than 200 patients with hearing problems.

Roman found that UCL not only developed his professional skills, but also encouraged students to use those skills to give back to their communities.

Dr Ugonnaya Igwilo

University of Essex

Ugonnaya completed her Master of Public Health degree in 2013. After returning to Nigeria, she volunteered at one of the largest HIV/AIDS clinics in Lagos State, providing care to over 500 individuals living with HIV. She also served as a medical expert on an Ebola Response Team for a public health campaign that reached 21 million Lagos residents. Ugonnaya’s UK degree improved her technical expertise and the practical experience prompted her to think differently about her specialism.

Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala

University of Sussex

Jayanthi has a Masters in Gender Studies and works on a number of projects addressing violence against women in Sri Lanka, including ReNEW, focusing on tea plantations, and EMERGE, working with men and boys to prevent gender-based violence.

While studying in the UK, Jayanthi accessed resources on gender and sexuality not widely available in Sri Lanka. She enjoyed extra-curricular activities such as rock-climbing, and in 2016 she became the first Sri Lankan to climb Mount Everest.

Jonas Nguh

University of Dundee

Jonas Nguh is a Professor of the Graduate Nursing Program at Walden University, and a global health practitioner specialising in maternal, newborn and child health. As a six-time national award winner, Jonas's experience extends to over 20 countries in Asia and Africa. He has served as the programme director for both nursing and public health programmes, and has held several fellowships in various healthcare organisations. Jonas is also a peer reviewer for several editorial boards.